The end of our national health care system?

I am a Canadian nurse thats been working in the usa for the last four years, the Canadian system is not perfect, but overall for a nation, it is so much better in almost every way than th American one ... improve the system you have [like switzerland] .. but don't go in the American direction.

If you are worried about the direction of the Harper government, call/email your local MP. Commenting on yahoo changes nothing. That is how you affect change in this country. Your MP, regardless of party affiliation, will listen to the people's voice to save their jobs. But they do not surf comment boards to find out what you want.

this is ugly

I am an American living in Toronto. Canadians, believe me, you don't want what we have in the US. You don't have a perfect system but you guys don't have to worry about health care, nor discuss it much. South of the border people talk and worry about health care constantly, and the insurance companies don't pay everything even if you have good coverage. You get a major illness and you lose your house. I'm a free enterprise conservative, but not when it comes to health care. It's a moral issue, not a financial one. Canadians, be thankful for what you have here and work to protect and improve it.

No healthcare = USA.... people going bankrupt for a minor injuries.

Healthcare should never be a "for profit" business. Look at the mess the US is in because of the "profiteering" by insurance companies "offering" health care coverage. Families have been financially destroyed due to a member becoming seriously ill.
Healthcare for profit is not the kind of Canada I want to live in.

Maybe the government should reign in on not letting hospitals hire so many dept managers with 80-100k salaries. I once watched 5 dept office ladies walk around the hospital to decide on where the arrows will go for the next treasure hunt. Really?! They have managers for managers...

I think the author means "death knell" not "death nail." Look it up.

I always thought that healthcare was the reason my taxes are so high. Because of this I never begrudged the amount paid. If Health Care is dropped or minimized, do my taxes drop. Time for a good old fashion impeachment.

If they're serious about saving money and healthcare they've got to start with three things:
--enforce a vastly more efficient hospital bed to bureaucracy ratio. The number of available beds is crashing while the number of bureaucratic and administrative positions is leaping for freedom.
--get rid of all the types they are paying to analyze and consult on the system. The Canadian Institute for Health Information, funded by the governments, itself employs 700 plus.Obviously 'statistics' coming out of such parasites are likely to be addled.
--put an end to the swinish CEO style cult within the hospital 'authorities'. We need 'public service' officers and health 'services' . There should be no room in the health budget for politically oriented gold diggers and their flunkies.
Right now it's farcical: the grossly overpaid and inefficient types are perpetually designing counter productive programs and protocols--half baked bureaucratic imperatives--to achieve the impossible goal of making the only truly efficient people, physicians, nurses and allied staff more efficient

@Alexander Sad part about your statement Alexander is that even if health care was abolished your taxes would remain the same or even increase. Anyone would be foolish to think other wise.

No. This can NOT be allowed to happen. Ever.

No goverment boss is worth private sector pay. NONE. They are simple jobs with clearly laid out objective get by with what you have. No bonus should be paid for doing your job. Far CEO's why are we over paying ? New people graduate each year and we have a dozen people in line for the job at even small hospitals.

There are better systems in the world that Canada should adopt. We don't have to use the USA's system.

But for some reason Canadians think there are only 2 ways to do it - Canada or USA. Look how universal health care is delivered outside our continent, people!

The biggest savings I can see in healthcare is to Stop the Provincial WCBs from using chickenshit reasons to deny a work related illness or injury and having it offloaded on the public medical system. Those workplace injuries have already been assessed for, and the various WCB jurisdictions are screwi9ng the injured folk, and the public that winds up having to wait in excessive lineups for their health care. The way it sits right now, WCB is only answerable to their provincial legislature.

The key to making any healthcare system sustainable is balance. I agree that the employee structure of hospitals and their compensation needs some work. In NW Ontario, 1% of patients account for 50% of hospital and home care expenditures and 5% account for 80%. Looking into how the needs of these patients can be address more cost effectively will be a big step toward solving the current funding problems.

if you don't like out system, fo to the US and deal with provate insurance, deductables and co-payments and payment refusals. And don't quit yout job and take a new one a month later - you will lose coverage for that month.

Yesterday there was a guy who commented that he was tired of paying high taxes for those who could not pay. He assumed if the get rid of the health care system that his taxes would go down. Yeah right.

If Harper tampers with Canadian National Health Care, he will be done in the next election. Canadians won't stand for it. The last thing Canadians need is the American system. But then again, this is exactly how Harper would want it... full of kickbacks. He's such an American GOP wannabe.

The health care system in canada should be ran like a business, cut the top heavy and get rid of the employees that go to work to lean on the walls and go for breaks , pay the staff that is deserving .